


Warmth

by Sharcade



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Cuddling & Snuggling, Cute, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Father-Son Relationship, First Christmas, Fluff, Gen, Letters to Santa, Sleepy Cuddles, Snowed In, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2018-06-24
Packaged: 2019-05-27 15:49:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15027971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sharcade/pseuds/Sharcade
Summary: In which the Andersons celebrate Christmas for the first time.





	Warmth

Hank had mixed feelings on Christmas.

If you had asked him about it a year ago, his answer would have been pretty simple, he hated Christmas. Christmas just meant that every business was closed, everybody was with their families, and it was cold. All the decorations were too flashy and everybody was way too happy for just another day of the year. Albeit, Hank hadn't always hated Christmas. Christmas was a lot different when you had a family compared to when you were completely alone. When Hank had a family, Christmas was warm and delightful, Christmas was seeing Cole's face light up at every new gift he unwrapped, Christmas was everybody together by the fireplace. After Hank's family fell apart, Christmas had become drinking alone on the couch in the dark, not something Hank was particularly proud of.

And then, Connor came into Hank's life.

Connor was interesting. From the moment Hank met him, Connor had been interesting. A dedicated detective with incredible skills, willing to do anything to accomplish his task. He was intelligent, stoic, and capable. That's how Hank had seen him, fairly imposing. It had only taken a few days for Hank to see through the cracks in Connor's facade. Connor was innocent and curious, Connor was caring and eager, Connor was excitable and adorable. It wasn't the first time Hank had met somebody like Connor, but it was the first time in a very, very long time.

Connor had adapted to Hank's personality faster than any human could have, and Hank wondered if that was due to Connor's android functions or Connor's genuine desire to get to know him. Hank couldn't help but get attached, even if he thought the whole concept of it all was ridiculous. Connor could never replace what Hank had lost, but then again, Hank didn't need Connor to do that. He wouldn't expect Connor to do that, it wouldn't be fair. Connor was something else, something new, not a replacement, but an addition. Because of how quickly the two had bonded, it wasn't much of a surprise to anybody when Hank and Connor chose to live together after the android revolution. It was even less of a surprise when Connor had taken up the legal surname of Anderson some short time later.

Hank had been hesitant to let another son into his life. It wasn't Connor's fault, it wasn't either of their faults, and it took Hank a little while to realize that. Connor had been patient and understanding, Hank didn't really expect anything less, but after some considerable time spent together, Hank found himself falling into the habits of a father more and more often. He couldn't ever pick up where he left off, but he could start anew with Connor, and maybe that wasn't as hard as he made it sound in his head.

Connor was fascinated by practically everything, something that Hank had gotten used to, but Hank noticed that occasionally Connor was amazed by things he had already seen before anyway. Connor explained this fairly simply; things held completely different meaning after he deviated. Things he never would have looked twice at had become beautiful and interesting, everything he came across was a whole new experience for him and it made the world truly exciting. It also made Hank's life exciting, as every outing with Connor began and ended with pure childlike wonder. Connor smiled more now than he had ever before, and it made Hank's heart absolutely melt, though he would never say that out loud.

When Connor had first seen the Christmas lights begin to plaster Detroit, he had been absolutely enthralled. They were stunningly beautiful to him, contrasting against the typical trashy qualities of the city. Hank couldn't help but find it adorable, practically everything Connor did these days ended up that way in his head. It had only taken one sight of the lights for Connor to begin researching Christmas on a massive scale, and soon, he had insisted on celebrating it. Hank had been hesitant, it had been a long time since his last real Christmas, but Connor had  _begged_ , and Hank never was good at resisting Connor's begging. 

So here he was, walking home in the snow with Connor in the dark on Christmas Eve, Connor having thoroughly insisted on buying cookies before they settled in for the night.

"It's important," Connor began, becoming momentarily distracted as the air leaving his mouth clouded into a puff of mist. "Leaving out cookies to provide sustenance for Santa Claus is an incredibly common Christmas tradition in the United States."

Hank watched as Connor adjusted his scarf, tucking his nose into it for warmth. He couldn't help but think back to a year prior, seeing Connor standing perfectly idly in the terrible weather as small mats of snow gathered on his head and shoulders, Connor not even seeming to care, staring ahead without purpose. That was a Connor that Hank didn't like to consider often. He much preferred his current Connor, the Connor who insisted on wearing layers upon layers of winter clothing, the Connor who's nose got all red in the cold. It was more human, it was more comfortable.

"You really believe in all that Santa crap?" Hank muttered, glancing over at Connor momentarily before subtly pulling the android's hat down to properly cover his ears.

"Are you implying Santa is fictional?" Connor inquired, looking over at Hank.

Hank couldn't help but hesitate when he saw the look in the android's eyes, a look of disappointment and confusion. How was he supposed to tell that face that Santa wasn't real?

"Nah kid, of course Santa's real." Hank assured, clapping Connor on the shoulder.

The android offered a small smile in return before shivering, burying his nose further into his scarf as he held his grocery bag of cookies tightly to his chest. It was fairly cold out this time of year, winters were always tough on the android population. Androids were much more susceptible to freezing than humans were, so Hank could forgive Connor for his three hoodies and coat.

It didn't take long for them to arrive home, Connor holding the door open politely as Hank entered the house, a wave of warm air coursing over him as he stepped inside. Connor followed suit, closing the door tightly behind himself and setting his bag down on the couch. It didn't take long for Sumo to bound up to them, bypassing Hank completely and making a beeline for Connor. Connor was quick to indulge, cooing and praising as Sumo showered him with licks and attention.

"You're spoilin' him Connor," Hank complained, sliding his heavy coat off and hanging it up. "No wonder he fuckin' goes to you instead of me."

"But he's an extremely good boy!" Connor insisted, tussling Sumo's fur eagerly. "Aren't you? You're a fantastic boy, aren't you?"

Hank rolled his eyes, holding back a snicker as he kicked off his boots. The house was warm and welcoming, strung up with dozens of decorations that had all been chosen specifically by Connor. Connor had insisted on decking out the house, stringing up lights and stockings and keeping the fireplace going when possible. However, it was Hank that had added the finishing touch. It had been a surprise to Connor when Hank had come home with the Christmas tree, but a welcome one. Connor was more than grateful, and Hank had been stuck in the hallway in Connor's arms for a solid three minutes that evening before finally convincing Connor to go decorate the tree instead of keeping him locked in one spot forever.

Hank had to admit, the tree looked great, but it also looked like something straight out of a Christmas movie. He didn't know what he had expected, it was very  _Connor_ to have everything stereotypically perfect, though Connor had also made his own touches to the tree. Connor hadn't brought them to Hank's attention, but Hank had noticed regardless. It started with two pictures in tiny paper frames, decorated nicely with little paper snowflakes and careful designs, clearly handmade by Connor. It was only two pictures, but Hank recognized them easily. The first picture he remembered vividly, it was a picture of him and Connor on the day that Connor had his last name changed.

Connor was smiling proudly, holding up his new police I.D. for display, and Hank was smiling as well, a habit that was starting to come to him a little more naturally these days. The picture was one of his favourites, and Connor knew that much, which Hank imagined is how it made it onto the tree. The second picture was of him and Connor once again, this time with Connor looking completely overjoyed. It was a picture they had taken a few months ago, and it had become so much more meaningful with time. Connor had his arm over Hank's shoulders, Hank holding up a small sign that read very few words:  _One month sober._

Hank knew that was Connor's favourite picture, and he knew how much his effort to quit drinking meant to Connor. He had really been on his best behaviour, and found it was easier than he had guessed. Alcohol had been an escape of sorts, but it was an escape he was starting to lose the need for. There wasn't much to escape from these days. He couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment for kicking his habit, especially with how genuinely proud of him Connor looked to be in that picture.

Connor bustled about the living room eagerly, carefully setting up a plate with three cookies and a glass of milk on the table. One thing Hank had loathed about this Christmas so far was the fact that Connor had gone well out of his way to acquire an absolutely tasteless selection of hideous Christmas sweaters. It was basically all the android was willing to wear anymore, both at home and at work, and the fact that he was almost positive Connor was doing it strictly to get on his nerves was what made it so grating. That being said, it also kept the android warm, so he would have to simply grin and bear it for the remainder of winter if he wanted Connor to remain healthy.

His first thought, one he imagined many people believed, was that androids were incapable of getting sick. He had fairly quickly learned that this was completely wrong. Cold could affect androids fairly harshly, and freezing biocomponents needed quite a bit of time to repair. This left androids basically in a state of the common cold, a fact he had learned almost as soon as winter hit when Connor was bedridden for three days with ailment. He had recovered well, but Hank made sure to purchase plenty of winter clothes in the span of that three days.

"You warm enough?" Hank yawned, plopping unceremoniously onto the couch. "Fire's going."

"Yes, thank you." Connor replied, looking over the stockings and carefully adjusting them to be just so. "I will say Lieutenant, I admire your use of a real fireplace. Most fireplaces these days are digital."

"What's the point in having a fire if it ain't real?" Hank argued, putting his arm around Connor's shoulders as the android sat down beside him, grabbing his designated couch blanket and pulling it up to his shoulders. 

"I enjoy the sounds it makes." Connor commented, snuggling up to Hank comfortably and watching the fire. 

"You always manage to find somethin' pretty in things, huh kid?"

"Of course."

Hank looked around, the house hadn't looked quite like this in Hank's entire time living here. Connor's presence changed everything, even things Hank wouldn't have expected. It changed his entire life, really. Everything from his home to his daily routine, things like the way he hung up his clothes and the way he put away the dishes, little things that had been tweaked by Connor's overall personality and general perfectionism. Having Connor in his life wasn't the same as just meeting somebody new, it was meeting  _family_ , it was like meeting somebody he was always meant to know. He couldn't imagine his life now without Connor.

"Lieutenant."

"What's up?"

"Do you think Santa Claus received my letter? I am aware that the postal drones can only deliver so well in this weather." Connor inquired, furrowing his brow in concern. "I hope my letter wasn't lost."

"Nah, of course not, those things always find their way to Santa." Hank promised, rubbing Connor's arm supportively. "Christmas magic or whatever the fuck."

Sometimes Hank couldn't believe how impressive Connor was. He was a genius. An incredible detective, athletically inclined, young and determined and agile, competitive and polite and pragmatic. He also couldn't believe that these same traits were shared by somebody who wrote to Santa Claus, cut his own paper snowflakes, wore atrocious Christmas sweaters and went on cookie runs in the middle of the night.

"So what did you ask for, exactly?"

"Well, I realized in my writing that I did not actually have many  _wants_ in terms of material possessions." Connor began, resting his head on Hank's shoulder as he looked over the Christmas tree. "Most of the things I desired were things like us all remaining healthy, you remaining sober, and our coworkers enjoying their holidays as well."

"So then what did you put in the letter?" Hank asked quizzically, his eyes drifting back to the framed images in the tree. 

"I requested a multitude of toys for Sumo as well as a multitude of items for you that I will not reveal even if tortured."

"Wow. Pretty tightly locked up on that one, huh?"

"Extremely." Connor insisted. "It has to be a surprise or there is absolutely no point."

"Gotcha, gotcha. Ask for anything for yourself?"

"I requested additional resources for the backyard garden as well as additional supplies for my indoor planters," Connor explained, pausing momentarily to yawn. "And additional clothing, I've found I like having an expansive array of clothing."

Connor would often bring up things he liked, and Hank appreciated that. Connor wasn't just educating Hank on his interests, Connor was keeping Hank  _updated._ The android was discovering new things about himself practically every day, and sharing these things with Hank made it an adventure for both of them. It was endlessly interesting to find out about who Connor truly was beyond his programming.

"You getting tired there?"

"Moderately," Connor began, closing his eyes as he snuggled up closer to Hank. "You are quite warm and it's triggering a comfort response in my sensors."

"Nicest thing you've ever said to me."

"I have said a vast expanse of nice things to you, Lieutenant."

Hank snickered and pulled Connor in slightly closer, rubbing the android's arm as Connor relaxed against him. Most people may have found it strange to see, Connor appearing fully grown and still tucked away at Hank's side like a sleepy child. In honesty, Hank couldn't care less how old Connor was, as long as Connor was comfortable and happy, Hank would be whatever Connor needed him to be, even if that happened to be a pillow for the time being.

"Hank."

Hank raised an eyebrow slightly at the sudden change of titles.

"Uhuh?"

"I'm very proud of you." Connor mumbled quietly, rubbing his eyes.

"Yeah? For what?"

"For your sobriety." Connor continued. "You make for very comforting company when you aren't drinking. I've found I like you sober."

Another thing Connor liked.

"...Thanks kid."

Connor nodded wordlessly, staying quiet as he began to fall asleep against Hank's side. Hank lived for moments like this, moments where everything was peaceful and warm and still, moments where he could truly see why everything was worth it. It was worth it for Connor's happiness, it was worth it for his own happiness. It was worth it for more moments like this. Connor had brought a light into his life that had lit up his entire world, and he couldn't have been more grateful.

"Hey, kid?"

"Mm?"

"Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Hank."


End file.
